Three takeaways from Jets' Week 14 overtime loss to Dolphins
Jets running back Isaiah Davis celebrates his touchdown during the first half of an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Fla. Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky
1. The Jets don’t know how to win.
It’s crazy to think that a team with as many veterans as the Jets have doesn’t know how to close out or win tight games. Their 32-26 overtime loss to the Dolphins was the latest example.
The Jets led 23-15 in the fourth quarter. For the fifth time this season, they lost when holding a fourth-quarter lead.
Garrett Wilson had some strong words when he got to the root of it. “When you’re up in the fourth quarter, all of a sudden, it starts to feel like you have a losing problem, like a gene or some [expletive],” Wilson said.
The players deserve blame, but coaching definitely is a part of that.
The Jets are 1-7 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, with five losses coming by six or fewer points.
Former coach Robert Saleh shares in that. They lost two of their first five by fewer than six points before he was fired.
The Jets are 0-7 in games decided by six or fewer points. That is difficult to do.
2. The final minute of regulation was crushing.
Davante Adams had maybe his best game as a Jet and kicker Anders Carlson had an otherwise terrific game, but both were involved in huge plays that came back to bite the Jets.
Carlson kicked four field goals, including a go-ahead 42-yarder with 52 seconds left. But not kicking the ball out of the end zone on the ensuing kickoff to Malik Washington, who had a 45-yard return, led to Miami’s tying field goal.
“He just missed the kick,” Ulbrich said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to cover what’s kicked and we didn’t cover well enough.”
Making matters worse, Carlson was run over by Washington trying to make the tackle.
Before Carlson’s field goal, Aaron Rodgers threw a pass to Adams near the sideline. Ulbrich said he told everyone to stay inbounds and keep the clock running, as the Dolphins were out of timeouts. Adams tried to hold his ground but eventually was pushed out by Kendall Fuller, stopping the clock with 56 seconds left.
Adams said it took too long for officials to blow the whistle. “They decided they were going to take 25 seconds to blow it dead,” he said.
If you don’t run it there, you’re tempting fate by throwing it by the sideline if the goal is to keep the clock running. It goes back to knowing what it takes to win.
3. The rookie running backs looked good.
With Breece Hall out with a knee injury, rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis handled the backfield duties and performed well.
Davis scored a touchdown for the second straight game. He finished with 67 yards on 13 touches and converted some big third and fourth downs.
Allen had 81 scrimmage yards on 16 touches. He also had an important third-and-1 conversion when the ball was snapped directly to him with Rodgers lined up outside. Allen pushed forward for 2 yards.
The Jets have some impressive young players on offense that the next coaching staff will inherit. “We ran the ball well and efficient,” Ulbrich said. “Great testament to those two rookie running backs. What an amazing future they have. What an amazing future the Jets’ offense has because of those two.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
